PEG-PLGA from PolySciTech used in development of gastric cancer treatment

Gastric cancer is a very common and deadly form of cancer which kills about 11,000 people per year in America. Eliminating cancer stem cells is a key step to treating this form of cancer. Recently, researchers working at Sichuan University, Guizhuo Provincial People’s Hospital, and Second Military Medical University (China) utilized PEG-PLGA From PolySciTech (www.polyscitech.com) to develop nanoparticles loaded with salinomycin, which kills cancer stem-cells, and docetaxel, a standard chemotherapy agent, for treatment of gastric cancer. They found this combination in nanoparticles suppressed tumor growth more effectively than alone or without the nanoparticles. This research holds promise for treating this common and lethal form of cancer. Read more: Li, Lan, Dejun Cui, Limin Ye, Yu Li, Liyi Zhu, Lanqun Yang, Banjun Bai, Zhao Nie, Jie Gao, and Yu Cao. "Codelivery of salinomycin and docetaxel using poly (D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid)-poly (ethylene glycol) nanoparticles to target both gastric cancer cells and cancer stem cells." Anti-Cancer Drugs 28, no. 9 (2017): 989-1001. http://journals.lww.com/anti-cancerdrugs/Fulltext/2017/10000/Codelivery_of_salinomycin_and_docetaxel_using.6.aspx

“Cancer stem cells (CSCs) in gastric cancer (GC) have been established recently as key therapeutic targets for the successful treatment of GC. Emerging evidence suggests that both CSCs and cancer cells should be eradicated to achieve optimal therapeutic efficacy. In the present study, salinomycin, which has been reported to kill CSCs, was used in combination with docetaxel, a chemotherapeutic drug that is used as first-line therapy in GC, to eradicate both GC stem cells (SCs) and cancer cells. Salinomycin and docetaxel were loaded separately into poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol) nanoparticles of ∼140 nm with a narrow size distribution, high drug loading, and sustained drug release. GC SCs were isolated by magnetic-activated cell sorting on the basis of CD44 expression as the CSC phenotype. CD44+ GC SCs showed the characteristics of CSCs, including increased SC gene expression, tumorsphere formation capacity, and tumorigenicity in nude mice. We found that both salinomycin and salinomycin-loaded nanoparticles (salinomycin-NPs) could selectively eradicate GC SCs, as reflected by reduced tumorsphere formation capacity and the frequency of CD44+ GC cells, whereas docetaxel and docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles (docetaxel-NPs) could significantly eradicate GC cells. In nude mice bearing GC xenografts, salinomycin-NPs and salinomycin significantly decreased the intratumor population of GC SCs. Notably, salinomycin-NPs combined with docetaxel-NPs suppressed tumor growth more effectively than did salinomycin combined with docetaxel, single salinomycin-NPs, or docetaxel-NPs. Therefore, salinomycin-NPs combined with docetaxel-NPs represent a promising strategy for the treatment of GC by eradicating both GC SCs and cancer cells.”